


Custos

by madasthesea



Series: Fure [1]
Category: The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 13:05:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4480220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madasthesea/pseuds/madasthesea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The King visits Costis after he makes an embarrassing, and costly, mistake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Custos

Aris stood in the doorway with rolls of bandages in his arms.

“Go away,” was all Costis said. Aris made a face, took a step forward, then shook his head and dumped his supplies on the only stool in the small room.

“Stop moping, go talk to him,” Aris commanded in farewell, and then disappeared.

Costis put his arm over his eyes and ignored him. There was no way he was going to go talk to the King. If Attolis wanted to talk, he would summon Costis. Until then, he would lay there in pain and misery, just as he deserved.

“Of course you are the type of person to refuse treatment when you feel guilty. It’s one of those ‘noble soldier’ things I’ve always detested.” Costis tensed, but didn’t jump. He’d learned to never show surprise in battle. This, no matter how it was disguised, felt like battle.

He removed his arm from his eyes, sat up, then slid to the floor until he was kneeling.

“Oh, get up, Costis,” the king snapped. He was sitting where the bandages had been, his feet propped on the small table nearby. He was slowly boring a hole in the wooden stool leg with his hook.

“Your Majesty, I should not be allowed to stand in your presence,” he said, slowly. The pain in his side was nearly blinding. It helped, slightly, if he looked at the floor instead of the king.

“Why?”

“What?”

“I said ‘why,’ Costis. Are you going to try to kill me?” Costis blanched, looking up at Attolis in horror.

“Of course no-“

“Is your stature, perhaps, so imposing that you fear it would stun me into a stupor by looking upon it?” Costis drew a breath to speak, but the king plowed on, growing louder as he went. “Are you going to fall on me and squish the life out of me? Tell me, Costis, why you feel you don’t even have the right to stand in front of me.”

“Didn’t you see what I did?!” Costis roared. He bit back a groan of distress and lowered his forehead to the stones beneath him.

“Ah. You mean when you attacked the man you thought to be an assassin, who was actually a trusted local merchant, nearly getting myself, the Queen, and a number of others injured in the process,” the King rallied off. Costis closed his eyes. “It was quite the display. The visiting dignitaries have not stopped talking about it.”

“Your Majesty,” he choked out. “I am sorry.”

There was silence for a long moment, broken only by the sound of the stool shifting under the king’s weight.

Suddenly, there was a warm weight on his arm. “For Heaven’s sake, Costis. Stand up,” the king said in his ear. His mind frozen, Costis let the king guide him up and lay him back down on the bed.

“Did you tear your stitches?” Eugenides asked.

“No,Your Majesty.”

“Good. And, because I am not in an overly vindictive mood, I should tell you,” the king said, and Costis held his breath, waiting for the punishment about to be awarded him. “I am not angry.”

Costis could feel his eyes go wide in surprise. Attolis smirked.

“In fact, I am grateful to have such an attentive guard.” Before Costis could begin to convince himself he was asleep and this whole thing had been a dream, Eugenides continued, “Though perhaps you could attempt at subtlety next time.”

Costis nodded numbly. When the king moved toward the door, Costis assumed he was leaving. Which is why, when he instead settled himself again on the stool, he was shocked into saying, “You don’t have to stay, My King.”

He didn’t notice the way Gen’s lip quirked at once again being addressed as such.

“I am the king, Costis. I don’t _have_ to do anything.”

He put his feet back up on the table and tipped his head against the wall.

They both slept.

**Author's Note:**

> The first of a small series of (very short) one-shots, all originally posted on tumblr.


End file.
